09/05/2026
Yellowknife witnessed a geographic stratification of the population in the 1970s. The more affluent citizens and government workers were settling downtown, while Indigenous peoples, bushmen, prospectors, and transient-types were staying in Old Town and occupying sub-standard houses. Residents charged that not enough was being done for the original settlement, where “barrel and bucket are used instead of tap and toilet,” while “thousands” of dollars were poured into the New Town.
Consultants hired by the city all agreed on one key goal: phase out the residential neighborhoods in Old Town and replace them with industrial zoning to accommodate trucking yards, warehouses, and welding shops. The city no longer wanted to pay for expensive services to maintain residential standards on the waterfront. This planning ignored the fact that not everyone wanted all the modern city services. Still, it was a mixed bag: there were many in Old Town who did desire water and sewer, wishing to invest in the property they owned, but could not without a mortgage.
Residents banded together and formed the Old Town Development Association to represent their perspectives and offer guidance to the city as it continued to plot the fate of their homes. The group was very active in 1971 upon the release of a Redevelopment Study. In it, the city saw the areas surrounding The Rock, Willow Flats, and Peace River Flats as having no value in residential zoning: “Its character is changing. Numerous smaller service industries, or industries dependent on the waterfront, have replaced houses or been developed on residential lots. The nature of mixed development in the Old Town has created a generally poor environment.” The antagonism between residents and city council led to a novel protest gift, when a half dozen “honey bucket” pails were left on the stairs of city hall: “A gift to the people of New Town from the people of Old Town. (Old Town “shacks” – courtesy Hal Lodgson)
What was the fate of Old Town? Find out, in “Yellowknife: The Story of a Golden City”, for sale SOON September 5, 2026 at Yellowknife Historical Society museum!
